2022 was an exciting year for SEO, that kept us on our toes! We were gifted with a lot of great features, as well as some major algorithm updates keeping us busy.
Here is a summary of all the major SEO Updates in 2022:
- Multisearch: a feature that allows us to take a picture from our phone, search for it on the Google App and add keywords to customize our search. This created an urgency for webmasters to keep their product information updated. Read more about it here: https://blog.google/products/search/multisearch/
- Changes to the Google App: a lot of great features were added to the Google mobile App, allowing users to filter their searches, as well as to use refinements. This made searching so much easier on mobile. This triggered a new way of doing keyword research and promoted the use of zero volume searches
- Numerous helpful algorithm updates: SEOs witness multiple enhancement throughout the year. Page experience update, Product reviews, Core Updates, Helpful Content Updates and Spam update. Collectively, these updates made search much better and more meaningful than before, however they also brought a lot of work for SEOs. History of all such updates is also available here:https://status.search.google.com/products/rGHU1u87FJnkP6W2GwMi/history
E-A-T is now E-E-A-T: Google added an extra ‘E’ that stands for Experience. This change will allow brands to also improve the experience signaling on their content. The new update is now called Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Below is the E-A-T checklist for brands to replicate.
SEO Strategies for 2023
2023 is going to all going big on these 2 themes:
- Search Experience Optimization, and,
- A solid synergy between SEO x SEM
Search Experience Optimization
In our blog earlier this year, we summarized that SEO is all about Search Experience Optimization.
The Search Engine has evolved over a period of time and SEO is no longer just about ranking at the top, but it’s more about increasing the Share of Voice by utilizing every available feature on Google Search.
Additionally, 2023 will challenge brands and agencies to go beyond traditional KPIs such as impressions, keyword rankings, traffic and to adapt more engagement KPIs such as Page Experience, Conversions and Events.
2023 is going to be all about optimizing user experience ‘beyond’ impressions, rankings and clicks.
How to improve Search Experience Optimization in 2023?
- Optimize Structured Data across all page types
- Improve E-E-A-T score by giving more meaning and relevance to your content while adhering to Search Quality Rater guidelines
- Do not ignore keywords with zero search volumes. Go ahead and create if your product is still relevant
- Investing Dev efforts to improve Web Vitals and User Experience metrics
A solid synergy between SEO x SEM
Users don’t see channels! Hence it’s incredibly important for brands to adapt a well balanced synergy between organic search and paid search. A healthy synergy between channels will allow brands to:
- Maintain their Share of Voice intact on Google
- Improving organic share of voice and save Ad spends
- Utilize spends to expand into more markets / keywords
- Avoiding domain cannibalization by overly bidding on keywords that are already working through SEO
Some of the workflows that brands can adapt are:
- Blended reporting rather than separate channel reports
- Joint keyword research to identify themes to optimize and keywords to bid
- Constantly improvise by reviewing keyword level cross channel stats
Read our blog about SEO x SEM synergy here.
To summarize, 2023 will continue to excite SEOs and challenge webmasters to move away from traditional workflows and adapt strategies to improve user experience rather than chasing keyword rankings while maintaining a synergy between channels.
